The Sacred Duty of Brand Stewardship

There's a word echoing through the corridors of power these past few weeks.

Can you guess it?

It's not DOGE, although this acronym for the Department Of Government Efficiency hasn't left the headlines since the new administration took office.

It's "stewardship."

This concept traces back to biblical origins when the Creator instructed Adam and Eve were to “work and take care of" the Garden of Eden—our planet and everything within it.

The "Parable of the Talents" (Matthew 25:14-30) and "Parable of the Shrewd Manager" (Luke 16:1-13) illuminate this principle further. They teach that the Creator entrusts resources according to our abilities and holds us accountable for wise management.

Seems reasonable – we accept responsibility for our gifts and accountability for managing them judiciously.

While this concept of stewardship is receiving renewed attention in political circles, it is particularly significant for brand marketers.

We don't own our brands. We are merely their stewards.

Despite legal ownership claims, even our companies don't truly possess them. Brands ultimately belong to customers, residing in their hearts and minds.

Our sacred charge? Managing these brands wisely. That's stewardship.

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For those of us who've spent decades in the trenches of brand marketing, the foundation of this stewardship begins with developing the brand positioning strategy – the most important "P" in marketing and business development.

This strategy serves as the blueprint for transforming mere products into beloved brands. A brand represents that special bond we cultivate with customers, built on shared values and experiences.

The brand positioning strategy becomes the alpha and omega—the beginning and end—of everything we do to create brand loyalty.

Having spent over five decades in brand marketing, I can attest that the positioning strategy provides crucial direction. It also offers a filter through which we assess all initiatives, from names and logos to packaging and advertising.

This principle transcends sectors—political, consumer goods, pharmaceutical, financial, and personal services—and all benefit from this disciplined approach.

Every resource we deploy must align with and reflect this positioning strategy. We bear accountability for nurturing our brands consistent with this strategic blueprint.

Years ago, I coined the term "Marketect" – a fusion of marketer and architect.

An architect develops blueprints that direct the creation of structures—homes, businesses, bridges, whatever the vision demands.

The architect then exercises stewardship, ensuring contractors build according to those blueprints.

Similarly, we Marketects develop our blueprints – brand positioning strategies – and serve as stewards, ensuring all resources are faithfully executed according to plan.

THINK ABOUT IT

• Without awareness of and commitment to our brand positioning strategy, we become rudderless, abdicating our responsibility as brand stewards.
• Having a strategy marks only the beginning. We must employ it as a filter for every proposed branding and marketing initiative.
• A brand is a promise made. Brand stewardship is that promise kept.
• Faithful stewardship means moving forward only with initiatives that align with and reinforce our brand positioning strategy.
• Faithful stewardship also demands measuring and delivering favorable ROI on all resource deployments.

MAKING YOUR MARKETING MATTER MORE

1. Pressure-test your current brand positioning strategy.
2. If you lack a formal brand positioning strategy statement, create one with your extended brand team.
3. Ensure your positioning delivers a relevant and meaningfully differentiated benefit promise to your target customer segment.
4. Consistently communicate this strategy throughout your organization, using it to evaluate all branding initiatives.
5. Pre-test those marketing initiatives that are consistent with the brand positioning strategy for a favorable ROI. Ensure they have a favorable ROI before full deployment.
6. Become a Marketect – architect, and steward of your brand's future.

Follow me on LinkedIn for more insights on marketing that builds brands. I've spent 50+ years working for Fortune Top 100 Companies in 40 countries and 100 international markets, helping to build iconic brands. From breakthroughs to failures, I share what really works and what doesn't. Follow me here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/richarddczerniawski/

Make your marketing matter (even) more! Please purchase, gift, and read my most recent book, AVOIDING CRITICAL MARKETING ERRORS: How to Go from Dumb to Smart Marketing. It details proven principles, best practices, and quality processes to help you achieve marketing excellence.

Peace and best wishes in making your marketing matter (even) more in 2025,

Richard D. Czerniawski